The following is a message from our dear friend Ezra Kenyanya. He is the director of VUNA International, a non-profit Christian organization that is passionate about the biblical principle of justice and human rights. This message is especially timely because humanity is suffering from brokenness on many levels
The Ministry of Brokenness — by Ezra Kenyanya
In his book, The Cure, John S. Lynch wrote that, “Your brokenness is designed to bring out the identity, calling, and thriving of another person. You are being selfish when you allow yourself to be ministered to. Many of us are seated on powerful pieces of testimonies that if they were to be shared, they’d win more souls for the kingdom than most of the sermons could ever do. We fail to realize that our test is what eventually becomes our testimony and our mess our message to the world.
We have become prisoners of our shame, from what was done to us, what we are doing to other, or what we are not doing. True freedom will only come when we allow the truths of our lives to align with our public persona. Who we are public should align with our private lives failure to which, our sins eventually will catch up with us.
This form of inconsistent life is what could be the reason why some people have left the church. According to Daniel L. Weiss in his article Give What You Have, he states states that, “The pious fellowship permits no one to be sinner. So everybody must conceal his sin from himself and from the fellowship. We dare not be sinners. Many Christians are unthinkably, horrified when a real sinner is suddenly discovered among the righteous. So we remain, alone with our sin, living in lies and hypocrisy. Yet the fact is that we are sinners.” This has made many leave the church. We have forgotten that church is not a museum for saints but a hospital for sinners as one of my friends put it.
When the disciples were waiting for the fulfillment of the promises, they humbled their hearts, in true repentance and confessed their unbelief. Putting away all their differences, all desires of supremacy, they came together in Christian fellowship. Their brokenness prepared way and room to the Holy Spirit (White, 1911). Holding on to our pain and guilt will only hurt us more. It will bring discord in our fellowship and worship and so often we’ll find petty reasons to fight amongst us. This in turn hurts our ministry to others.
In her book Acts of The Apostles P.47, Ellen G. White wrote that “When Christ gave His disciples the promise of the Spirit, He was standing in the shadow of the cross, with full realization of the load of guilt that was to rest upon Him as the Sin Bearer.” In other words, Christ was broken, with guilt and the burden of sin.
The cross reveals to us His willingness to be vulnerable. Here Christ was physically, spiritually and emotionally naked with full of shame and ridicule. He knew that for Him to save us, He must face the guilt and shame, there was no other way out. He had preached powerful sermons, healed the sick, brought to life the dead etc. But ultimately our salvation depended on the cross, He Had to be was weak and vulnerable for our sake. Our hope hinged and still does, on the brokenness of a dying Saviour at the cross.
You may be hurting from an experience you went through in the past. Maybe as a young girl you were sexually abused, or you maybe you are currently struggling with sexual addiction or any other form of addiction. I kindly urge you to pray and ask God to give you strength to confront your fears and shame, in doing so, you’ll not only find help for yourself, but you’ll minister to many who can relate with you. You don’t have to sing or preach to minister but by emptying your pain, and enduring the unthinkable will set you and others free of their pains, heartache and struggles.
As Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “The final obstacle to true Christianity & fellowship is inability to be sinners together.” Until when we break this barrier by the grace of God, we will find ourselves visiting the house of God as if were a common place like the theatre, lecture room or any other forum. We will listen to sermons with the same spirit we listen to a lecture (Bounds, 2004). As Paul says, we will have a form of godliness but denying its power. The power to heal and break us free from our chains of sin and brokenness and when others will hear and see what He has done for you, they will acknowledge our God as the Savior. But how will they hear if you don’t speak and share?
Lastly, to the brethren in church, may we strive to embrace the sinners while assisting and working with them to overcome the sin. May their brokenness find healing and restoration in Christ Jesus through us. Note that for one to be made whole, it might take some breaking down so that Christ can mold them into being the man and woman He wants them to be. This process can be painstaking and embarrassing but Christ is the potter and we are the clay. Let’s not make it more difficult for them- Jeremiah 18:1; Isaiah 64:8.